1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to methods and apparatuses for dispensing beverages and particularly to methods and apparatuses for improving the shelf life of opened bottles or other containers of wines and other beverages. The apparatuses include enclosures in which opened bottles or other opened containers of beverages are housed so that the contents thereof may be subjected to an environment of high pressure inert gas such as nitrogen while the interior of the enclosures are simultaneously being vented to atmosphere. Thereafter, the pressure may be selectively reduced for subsequent product dispensing at initial dispensing pressures of up to approximately 15 p.s.i.g. The methods are believed to not only remove air within the enclosures but also purge excess oxygen from solution in the beverages thereby preventing further oxidation thereof. In this manner, the shelf lives of wines and other beverages may be preserved for periods exceeding four to six weeks. The apparatuses insure that the pressures within the bottles or other containers of wines or other beverages are offset by similar pressures within the enclosures surrounding the containers so that increased pressures can be applied to the contents thereof without risk of damaging or destroying the beverage containers. In one embodiment, a beverage such as wine may be selectively aged and then preserved at its peak utilizing an apparatus of the invention.
2. History of the Prior Art
In recent years there has been a growing interest in the desire to provide alternative means for dispensing beverages and particularly wines in order to facilitate consumer service and decrease product waste. A major direction of these efforts has been to increase the shelf life of various opened containers of beverages. Prolonging shelf life is particularly advantageous for the dispensing of products which are normally stored in containers wherein the volume of product is greater than the amount of product which is likely to be utilized or consumed at one time. Also, a prolonged shelf life is particularly beneficial if it is possible to preserve the original quality and palatability of the product. In the past, it has not been possible to adequately prolong the shelf life of opened bottles or other opened containers of such beverages as wines and the like.
In some instances, a single bottle of wine may be so rare as to demand hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the consumer market. In such cases, once the bottle of wine has been opened, the value of the wine is destroyed. Once the wine is exposed to a new source of oxygen, the aging process or further oxidation of the wine is accelerated thereby destroying the possibility of the further resale or later consumption of the wine. In such circumstances, if the shelf life of the product could be extended, the contents of an expensive bottle of wine could be preserved over a period of time either for the enjoyment of the original purchaser or for subsequent consumption and/or distribution to other consumers.
Currently, innkeepers and winekeepers and the like have begun utilizing refrigeration and inert gas storage techniques for increasing the shelf life of opened bottles of wine. The use of refrigeration not only reduces the rate of oxidation of a wine after it has been opened to atmosphere, but also provides for a chilled product which is preferred by many consumers. Use of inert gases has also been made to reduce or retard the rate of oxidation in wines by decreasing the amount of oxygen required to promote oxidation of the alcohol within the wine.
In utilizing inert gases to preserve the life of opened containers of beverages, the containers are initially opened and exposed to atmosphere and thereafter, a plug is inserted to seal the contents. Inert gas such as nitrogen is subsequently introduced into the container and serves to provide pressure for dispensing the fluid therein and at the same time provides a nitrogen-enriched environment above the fluid. Unfortunately, as most wines and other beverages are stored in glass containers, the amount of pressure which can be applied within the container is very limited. Because of this, operating pressures of up to 5 p.s.i.g. are generally not exceeded, not possible or not practical for use in present wine preserving and dispensing systems. In addition, the plugs or valves which are used to seal containers prior to pressurization often leak, come loose or pop free from engagement with the containers thereby releasing the inert gas and admitting various amounts of air so that further aging is allowed to proceed. As the wine is exposed to more oxygen, oxidation will continue until the wine spoils. Generally, it has not been possible to preserve the shelf life of wines more than several weeks without the wine beginning to spoil.